Paper-clip.



H. G.POSSNER`.

PAPER'CLIP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY IT, 1915.

' `Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

HERMAN G. POSSNER, F EDGEWOOD, RHODE ISLAND.

PAPER-CLIP.

Specieatioln of Letters Patent.

Application led May 17, 1915. Serial No. 28,504.

To all whom zt'mayconcern.'

Be it known that I, HERMAN G. PossNEn, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Edgewood, city of Cranston, in the. county of Providence and State of Rhode Island,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Clips, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fasteners of the class employed as paper clips for securlng or binding together sheets of paper or to perform other light binding, and the object of my invention is to forni such a clip from a strip of sheet-metal and fold the same to provide two opposing members, one having a piercing tang, and the other having a depression with an inclined surface, one of the walls of which depression is provided with an eye or opening through which the tang is directed and caused to pro]ect .by

contact with the inclined surface of said depression as the members are moved toward each other.

A further obiect of this invention is the turning outward of the edge ofthe opening through the wall of the depression over which the tongue is bent to form a more ef* fective lock.` Y

A further object of this invention is the to Iprovision of means at the fold for controlling the point of bending of the stock, so as to insure the registering of the tang with the tang bending depression.

A still further object of the invention is a (the crimping or offsetting a portion of the stock of each opposing member to stiften the same and prevent them from buckling or bending when the clip is being applied to the work. y

With these and other obiects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanving drawings: Figure 1- is a perspective view of my improved fastener showing the members as slightly open ready to beclamped upon the'articles to be bound together. Fig. 2- is a plan view of lthe inside of my improved fastener showing the members extended as struck from sheetstock with the stock stiffened, corrugated or offsetting a portion thereof. Fig. 3 1s the same as Fig. 2 but showing the outside of the fastener. Fig. 4 is a central sectional edge View of my improved fastener with the side members extended. Fig. 5 is a sectional /a number of sheets of paper and the tang as having passed therethrough and as locked over the edge of the depression. Fig. 6- is an enlarged sectional view more clearly illustrating the form of the depression wall, also the offset form of the stock at the edge of the opening through the wall of the depression which is naturally turned outward by the tool which forms the depression. Fig. 7--v1s a perspective view showing the fastener as applied to a number of sheets of paper.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a short strip` of sheet-metal formed from sheetstock from which my improved fastener is struck, this strip is preferably weakened slightly on its opposite edges by removing a portion of the stock as at 11 and 12 to assist in a measure the folding of the stock at the desired point and thus dividing the strip into two distinct'members 13 and 14. The member 13 has a portion of triangular shape pointed at one end and cut from the body thereof and bent outward at substantially a right angle to the plane of the plate, forming a sharpened tongue or tang 15 adapted to readily pierce a sheet or sheets of paper or other similar article or articles. The other member 14 of the strip is provided with a depression 16 whose inner wall 17, see Fig. 6, is formed on somewhat of a circle in longitudinal cross-section or on an' angle to the plane of said member and the swaging tool is so arranged that the forming of this depression breaks through separates or forms an opening or eye 18 through one of the walls and in the forming of this depression the edge 19 of the stock about the opening is naturally rolled, swaged or turned outward slightly as the wall is broken away to form an eye therethrough.

The members 13 and 14 of the fastener are then folded into the position illustrated in Fig. 1 with their ends apart forming a reentrant mouth. To further insure the folding of the stock at the point where the bending should take place, I have formed a slight transverse depression 20 in the stock between the notches 11 and l2 so as to insure the registering of the tang with the depression 16 when the opposing members are brought toward and in proximity to each other. This control of the bend is quite important as Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

otherwise the point of thel tang might not engage the recess and so would not be guided Y which roughness has a tendency to cling to and more effectually retain the tang which is turned oi er this edge.

In some cases where thin stock is desired to be used, I have embossed, swaged, crimped or otherwise raised the stock as at 21 and 22 into one or more longitudinal ribs so as to stiften the stock of these opposing members and prevent them from buckling or bending when pressure is applied thereto in forcing the pointed end of the tang through the articles to be bound and locked together.

By my improved method of forming a tang bending recess, the wall of one portion of the recess is formed somewhat on an ineline, and the wall of another portion of the recess is raised or bent substantially at a right angle to the plane of its member, and this right-angled wall is broken through, pulled apart or ruptured to form an opening therethrough. In this way when the point of the tang comes in contact with the inclined wall, it is bent forward and caused to pass through the said opening and thus accomplish a complete locking effect, and

this by the employment of but two side members or folds to my fastener. By this manner of forming an eye in the wall of the recess I am enabled to employ the minimum number of parts or folds and, therefore, reduce the number of operations and hence the expense of manufacture to the minimum, also by'pioviding .a fastener with but two layers, leaves orparts, I reduce the thickness of the fastener when folded to the very minimum which is of considerable importance to those using such fasteners. I also by this construction use the minimum amount of stock in the construction of my fastener which is of importance to the manufacturer.

'Ihe device is extremely simple in construction, is inexpensive to manufacture and is effective in its operation.. l

I claim:

An improved paper clip comprising opposed jaws formed of a single integral piece of sheet metal, one of said jaws being provided with an Iinwardly extended integral piercing tang, the other jaw having a pocket formed therein opposite said tang, said pocket having its Wall provided with a slot positioned to provide a lip extending outwardly from the face of the jaw, said tang belng guided through said slot by said pocket, the end of said tang being bent over said lip when the parts are engaged.

In testimony whereof-I aiiX mysignature.

' HERMAN G-.IPOSSNER 

